beauty secrets | how to even out your complexion

August 19, 2013

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My skin has been a source of anxiety and stress throughout the years.

Only within the past five or six years (since I committed to cleaner skincare) have I ever really felt that there were weeks when I could face the world without a heavy-duty foundation to cover my imperfections — active breakouts, healing blemishes, ruddy scars, discoloration.

Though I still feel a little attached to some sort of concealer or light powder, gone are the days where I’d cake on several layer of foundation and concealer in hopes of hiding my skin’s flaws.

Now, I tend to stick to just a couple light, skin-perfecting makeups: RMS Beauty’s “Un” Cover-Up and some sort of mineral foundation. Right now it’s Alima Pure’s Satin Matte Foundation.

As you can tell, the photo on the left is me in all my naked-skin glory. I’m self-conscious about the discoloration underneath and on outer corners of my eyes. This is the first place I apply RMS Beauty’s “Un” Cover-up Concealer.

If I’m having a good skin day, that’s pretty much the only place I apply the makeup, save for a few dabs on blemishes. Because I’ve been stressed and traveling for the past few weeks, I feel that my pores are a bit enlarged and ruddy; in the picture on the right, I opted to buff RMS Beauty’s “Un” Cover-up all over my skin, concentrating on the eye, chin and cheek areas for additional coverage.

I used the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply the concealer (this is also my favorite brush for liquid foundations) and sweep the coverage throughout the rest of my face. Then, I gently patted my face to press the product in a bit more and eliminate any excess.

Though the photo on the right shows a beautifully evened-out complexion, I like to buff on a light mineral makeup for added coverage and to really keep the RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-up in place.

The concealer is made primarily of coconut oil, which tends to slip around, so I recommend always setting it with mineral makeup or some sort of finishing powder to lock it in place and keep it from creasing (especially around the eyes).

I’m incredibly impressed with the wide array of colors available in the collection (I narrowed it down to about three shades that worked for me and opted for Olive 1 for its spot-on match to my undertones — you can use the handy Foundation Selector to find your matches.).

For the changing seasons, I’m thinking about getting a couple other foundations from the brand to mix and match to get a truly unique shade that matches every nuance in my skin.

While these two steps — RMS Beauty’s “Un” Cover-up and Alima Pure’s Satin Matte Foundation — give me a beautiful canvas to work with while I’m getting ready for the day, I also add depth to my face with a flush of pink on my cheeks; a dab of highlighter around my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, on my brow bone and forehead; and a touch of bronzer under my cheekbones and on my chin.

Check out tomorrow’s makeup post to see what colors I painted my face after evening out my skin tone with this concealer and powder.

What are your favorite concealers and foundations? Do you prefer mineral makeup or liquid? What are your problem areas? Tell me in the comments section!

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Thank you, Sabrina! That means so much. I have not used Lauren Brooke — going to check that out! I love lightweight foundations … don’t like the feeling of caked-on makeup!

Suzanne LeRoux

Hi Kimberly. I am a huge fan of mineral makeup. It serves as my color and sunscreen. I love to put on a touch of Skin Savior Balm and brush over a bit of mineral powder over it. I don’t like lotions and creams so mineral powder was a god send for me!

Hi Suzanne! Thanks for stopping by. Skin Savior Balm is da bomb! I am not really a lotion or cream girl, either … oils and balms only! I can handle tinted moisturizers, etc., but I am very fond of minerals now. I’ve learned how to be less messy with them ;)

I got to try out Alima Pure foundation a while ago for my blog and loved it but my match wasn’t quite right. With their current sale, I ordered the foundation sample pack and found my match. I am wearing Olive 1 and loving it! I think in winter, I will probably need Olive 0. I need to try RMS Uncover Up next!

So happy your found a match — crazy that we are the same color! I am going to order a few more colors to mix and match to get a custom blend. We all know that light affects different parts of our face and makes some parts darker (like my nose right now, ugghhh sun!). Please do try the Un Cover-up. I wish there were more shades, but #22 works for me! xoxo

With my almost non-existent makeup skills, RMS “un” cover-up is my hero. My skin, when it’s not being all dry, blotchy and tantrumy, actually isn’t bad. However, I have patches of brown spots on my temples and outer cheeks that won’t go away rain or shine and that’s where the RMS comes in handy.